ITIAL
Poreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
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32
From the Minister of State
The Rt Hon The Lord Goronwy-Roberts
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CHILD LABOUR
REIN
REY.
14 APR 977
tick 210/1
7 April 1977
(26)
38
I have seen your telegram No 324 or 28 Maroh about the steps you are proposing to take to try to increase the fines for the illegal employment of children.
I think I should let you know that the Secretary of State is taking a aloue interest in this problem. We both feel strongly, as I know you do, that we should put an end to the illegal employment of children in Hong Kong as quickly as possible and that every available means should be used to achieve this objective. This is clearly right in human terms but it would also do much, as I know you' are aware, for Hong Kong's standing abroad, not least among informed critics inside and outside Parliament here.
We have noted that there has been a slight increase in recent months in the average fine imposed on employers of illegal child labour and that you are also proposing to double the maximum fine. I wonder, however, how confident you are about the chances of the courts being prepa red to impose fines that will serve as a real deterrent. I must say that the average fines now being imposed are indefensably low by any standard. I understand that your courts have a record of imposing much lower sentences for most offences than the law allows and I therefore appreciate that they are not necessarily being more lenient on the employment of children than they are in the cuse of other offences. Nevertheless, it seems to us that the need to eliminate the illegal employment of children is great enough. to warrant our conuidering whether some action cannot be taken to induce the courts to adopt a tougher attitude,
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I accept that action along the lines of paragraph 4 of your telegram would be a step in the direction that I am thinking of. It seems likely, however, that it will take Bome time to bring about the desired result. (I understand that the department were informed in late January of the Attorney-General's intention to intervene but that the Commissioner for Labour has not in the meantime been able to bring a suitable tout case to his attention.) I wonder, therefore, whether, as a more immediate step, you would be prepared to consider speaking to the Chief Justice, with
8ir M MacLehose GBE KCMG KCVO
Government House HONG KONG
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